Tale of Two Suns
by SPB
Summary: (Originally published on FiMFiction.) Princess Celestia, feeling quite lonely since Luna's banishment, decides to take on a student of her own. She finds one in the form of a young filly named Sunset Shimmer, a pony with great magical potential. This is the story of how they first met, and how Sunset was taken under Celestia's wing.
1. The Sun Takes A Student, Part 1

A forlorn Princess Celestia gazed longingly into the enchanted mirror that stood before her. It was said that this mirror served as a portal to an entirely different world, though nopony had ever tested that theory. Nopony until the previous night, that is.

Even now the guilt was welling up anew inside the sun princess. Her first student in almost a thousand years, and she had driven her away. Failed to realize what her student was becoming and what her student needed. A firm but gentle hoof to guide her in the right direction, not a stern lecture about where she'd gone wrong.

Celestia fought back the tears, sighing heavily as she stood before the mirror. It would not open now, no amount of magic could change that. Her student was gone. And despite what anypony might tell her it was her fault, she had driven that pony away. It was only made worse by the fact that this was not the first time she had done this, driven away a pony she'd come to care so much for. Now here she was, lonely once again.

As she stood there, gazing helplessly into the mirror, the majestic alicorn began to think back to where it had all began. It hurt to relive the past now that it was tainted by sadness. But the only way to ensure it would not repeat itself was to reflect on it and learn for next time.

It had all begun just a few years ago. For over three quarters of a century now Celestia had ruled the land of Equestria alone. Nopony around was long lived enough to remember that there used to be another princess, another alicorn. Now her sister's name was lost and forgotten to history, and in many circles the symbol of a holiday that made foals believe an evil spirit was out to gobble them up.

Celestia lay in her royal bedchambers, clutching a framed picture of her sister: Princess Luna. She turned her gaze ever so slightly towards a nearby window. It was a full moon tonight, and if one looked closely it might have been possible to make out the faint trace of a mare on the moon's surface. Most ponies knew only as The Mare in the Moon. But Celestia knew better. It was a symbol and a reminder of a painful fact that she could not escape.

"Luna," Celestia somberly murmured while clutching the picture close to her chest. "It's been almost a thousand years since you were banished. Yet to me it seems like only yesterday that we still ruled side by side," A lone tear streamed down her face. "I only wish I could've saved you. That I had thought sooner to be there for you instead of casting you into my shadow," Wiping the tear away the sun princess struggled to regain her composure. "I won't give up on you! I'll find a way to bring you back! The Elements of Harmony may no longer work for me, but I'll bet there is somepony who can wield them and free you."

The alicorn with a majestic white coat rose from her bed but a moment later, once more dawning her royal regalia as she trotted out of the castle. Her mind was made up, she was going to do something she hadn't done since... well she couldn't even remember when. She was going to take on a student. Not just any student though, she had lots of them at the school named in her honor (all of whom were unicorns).

No, this student would be special. She would personally tutor the lucky colt or filly. Groom them into understanding the values that powered the Elements of Harmony. And that pony would in turn be her sister's savior when the thousand years of banishment ended.

* * *

Night time in the city of Canterlot could be quite lovely. The street lights and the occasional house light or lamp illuminated the capital city of Equestria, creating a scene that was the envy of many a pony.

It was peaceful too. Some ponies were nocturnal by nature or profession, and even those who weren't would sometimes stay awake into the night. Young ones especially longed to stay up past their bedtime, forming secret clubs such as "Children of the Night".

It warmed Celestia's heart to know that many ponies appreciated the night. If only her sister had been able to see it too. If only she had been able to cast off the shadow of her sister.

Celestia paused and shook her head to dispel the thoughts. "_There you go again, princess,_" She mentally scolded herself. "_You've got to stop focusing so much on the past. Focus on the future. In just over a decade Luna will return, and if you haven't found a new bearer for the Elements of Harmony there will be no hope for Equestria. Your sister will be lost forever, and you will fall._"

So the princess resumed her nightly stroll, thinking to herself about that personal student. Whoever it was would have to be special, extraordinary even. A pony who possessed the magical talent to wield the Elements of Harmony and the knowledge to know how they worked. A pony that could break through to her sister in a way that nopony else could.

Suddenly, Celestia's wandering eyes caught sight of a faint outline! She wasn't really sure but to her it looked like the form of a filly. A unicorn filly at that. It was a brief glance and when she turned to look again the filly was gone. Or so it seemed. The young one's shadow betrayed her, indicating that she was not too far ahead.

Celestia carefully pursued the filly. She couldn't really explain why but something drew her to the wandering little unicorn.

The chase didn't last very long. The filly rounded a corner and a second later the sound of something striking a trash can broke the silence of the night. A raspy, high pitched voice softly cried out. "Ow." And a few faint sniffles could be heard.

Now Celestia doubled her pace, soon closing in on the noise's source! Turning the same corner the filly had just rounded, she finally got a good look at the wandering young one she'd been following.

The filly was indeed a unicorn. A unicorn with a coat of brilliant amber, like the sky at sunset. Her eyes were a beautiful, innocent shade of moderate cyan. And her mane and tail were a very light red with light apple green stripes, loosely hanging at the sides. Even more noticeable was the fact that this filly didn't have her cutie mark yet, her flank was blank.

* * *

For but a moment Celestia was silent as she watched the filly stumble while slowly rising to her hooves. She didn't seem to be hurt badly, but the filly's sniffles indicated that she was still sore from the impact.

When the blank flanked unicorn's hooves gave out and she fell to the ground again, Celestia could stay silent and hidden no longer. She trotted forward and finally revealed herself. "Are you hurt, little one?" She called in the most gentle and compassionate tone imaginable, almost like a mother soothing her child.

The filly spun around, her eyes locking onto the princess'. Immediately she shook her head and stopped sniffling. "No. I'm fine. Really." She insisted, even as her attempt to stand up only caused her to fall down again.

Celestia lightly enveloped the filly within the soft glow of her magic, helping the unicorn to stand. "There we go," She spoke in a tone that sounded not unlike a coo. "It doesn't look like you're hurt too badly. Just a couple of bruises."

The filly groaned lightly. "I've had worse. This isn't the first time I've run into something in the dark."

The sun princess immediately became concerned. "Have you been wandering the streets at night for long, missy?"

"My name is Sunset Shimmer," The young unicorn answered. "And no, I haven't. I don't usually stay out for very long. I just wanted to practice my magic in the park, Mommy says I'm getting really good at it," Sheepishly she confessed. "I guess I lost track of the time because it's really late. And everything's so different at night," With a whimper she admitted. "I think I'm lost."

Celestia lightly stroked the filly with a hoof. "Not anymore, Sunset Shimmer. You're safe with me. I'm Princess Celestia."

At that Sunset let out a gasp! She was stricken with awe! "_The_ Princess Celestia?!"

The princess chuckled as she watched Sunset bow before her. "Now now, Sunset Shimmer, there's no need for that. You may be one of my subjects, but right now I'm just a pony on a late night stroll. Kind of like you," She proceeded to ask. "May I ask where you live?"

Sunset shook her head. "I don't know where it is. I've never been in this part of town before. Everything's so much different at night, and I think I took a wrong turn."

"Well, how about this then," Celestia offered as she bent down, lowering herself to Sunset's level. "Why don't I take you back to the castle and you can spend the night with me? Then in the morning I'll take you home."

"That would be amazing!" Sunset happily exclaimed. "I'll bet your castle is so big that even you get lost in it."

Celestia chuckled. "Yes, I have lost my way on more than one occasion. Which is why it's best if you stick with me. I don't need you to get even more lost," Then she gestured. "Come on, hop onto my back."

The little unicorn cheered! "Yay! Let's fly to the castle!"

At that, the sun princess felt a slight pang of guilt. She could remember Luna being quite fond of saying it when she was younger. Back then Celestia had found Luna's enthusiasm for their new living quarters to be annoying. Now she wished she'd never thought that way.

A thought started creeping into her mind as Celestia felt Sunset climb onto her back and clutch her neck tightly (but not too tight). "_Sunset doesn't seem to be an ordinary filly,_" She thought to herself. "_Could she be the one who will unlock the Elements of Harmony? Is she the one with the mark the Tree of Harmony foretold?_"

Well, those were thoughts for another time and place. For now she had to focus on getting her young charge to the palace. She could worry more about a possible tutoring in the morning. And not one to let anypony see her in such an emotionally vulnerable state, Celestia pushed all feelings of sadness to the back of her mind. "Okay, Sunset! Here we go! Hold on tight!" She called and flapped her wings, taking to the night skies.

* * *

As enjoyable as the flight was, Sunset couldn't stay awake for the whole thing. By the time Celestia reached the castle, she found that her young charge had fallen asleep.

With a warm and motherly smile Celestia floated the sleeping filly gently off her back and carried her into the castle. A few guards were there to greet her. "At ease, guards," She informed them. "We have a guest who will be staying the night. Young Sunset Shimmer. Please prepare the guest bed for her."

The guards saluted. "Understood, your majesty!" And they trotted away.

A short time later, Celestia gently deposited the sleeping Sunset Shimmer onto the bed that had once belonged to her sister, Luna. This time would be different. She wouldn't make the same mistake she made with Luna. She would ensure that Sunset would feel appreciated.

After all, Sunset wasn't just the pony who had the potential to free Princess Luna, she was also the first student Celestia had taken on in ages. Her first one had brief and they had parted ways when they realized that the bond of teacher and student was not shared.

Celestia kissed Sunset on the forehead and departed, watching the filly as her chest bobbed up and down in her sleep. It reminded her a lot of Luna, how she would watch her little sister as she slept in a basket and later the very bed that Sunset occupied.

"_Luna, I've finally found the one!_" The alicorn thought to herself. "_We'll be reunited soon!_"


	2. The Sun Takes A Student, Part 2

As she was used to being an early riser, Sunset woke the next morning not long after the sun had come out. For a moment she forgot all about what had transpired the night before as she yawned, shaking the cobwebs from her mind. "Boy, I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamt I actually got to see the princess." She said to herself, the filly fully expecting to find herself in her bed at home.

But as her eyes opened fully she saw that she most certainly _wasn't_ at her home. Everything look way more fancy, way more clean. So she hadn't dreamed up that encounter with Princess Celestia. She actually had been taken to the castle to spend the night. Which meant that her mom was certainly looking for her.

Sunset immediately threw off the covers and leaped down, scrambling to the door! It was locked tight. Oh well, nothing a little bit of magic couldn't fix. The filly shut her eyes and focused her attention on the door knob. She could feel the soft, tingling glow of her horn as it surrounded the door knob. If she'd kept her eyes open she would've noticed the light brilliant opal aura sparking out of the tip of her horn. The knob turned very slowly.

Sunset felt overwhelmed with pride. If only somepony were around to see this accomplishment. Her nightly lessons had were finally paying off!

However, the little unicorn's thoughts quickly turned to more urgent matters. Namely finding a way out of the castle. Grateful as she was for Princess Celestia's hospitality, she really didn't want to be a burden and make her mother worry. Her mother worried enough as it was. And assuming her father was home... well he'd probably have a few "choice words" for his daughter for staying out past her designated bedtime.

The filly dashed out of the bedroom and out into the hallway. Her moderate cyan eyes were surprised at how... big said hallway was. But that was okay, she could find her way around without trouble. Worse came to worse she could always ask somepony who worked here, like maybe one of the guards?

The filly darted about from place to place, almost as if she were playing a game and trying to avoid being caught. But this wasn't a game, this was serious. Most ponies her age would be lucky to even catch a glimpse of the princess, let alone talk with her. And Sunset's mom had talked about how you usually didn't get to see Celestia without an appointment, whatever that was.

But Sunset didn't get far before she ended up running smack into Princess Celestia, who greeted her young charge with a smile that radiated the same warmth as the sun. "Ah, there you are, Sunset Shimmer. I was just coming to get you, but it seems you're already awake," She greeted in a gentle tone. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Sunset nodded ever so shyly, she didn't want to seem ungrateful. "Yeah, I slept fine. Better than any sleep I ever had in my own bed," She blushed and shrank a bit. "Uh, don't tell my mom I said that."

Celestia only chuckled as she bent down to the filly's level. "You have nothing to fear, Sunset. In fact, your mother and I were just talking. I bet you didn't realize that your mom works for me."

At that Sunset let out a gasp! "What?! No way! My mom works in this castle?!"

Celestia nodded as she scooped Sunset up and placed the filly onto her back. "Why yes. I was most surprised to learn this fact. Your mom _is_ Sun Spot, correct? The head maid for the castle here?"

The filly commented. "Yeah, her name's Sun Spot. But I never knew she was your maid, she never told me."

The sun princess only smiled as she trotted down the hall with Sunset on her back. "Well you didn't think I kept this castle running smoothly all by myself, did you? Even a princess needs help from time to time," She proceeded to comment. "How did you get out of your room, may I ask? I specifically remember it being locked."

Sunset couldn't resist the opportunity to boast. "Please? A door like that I could open in my sleep. I told you I've been practicing. I think I'm getting really good with my magic." She lit up her horn again, creating a small heart projection.

Celestia seemed to be impressed if the slight change in her expression was anything to go by. "My, you certainly you show potential, Sunset. Why, I haven't seen so much magical power in somepony so young since..." She paused in her speaking as a brief image flashed in her mind. An image of her sister from long ago, when she really was little, before she'd been corrupted.

"Since who, princess?" Sunset inquired while tugging on Celestia's mane.

Celestia snapped back to reality. "Oh, no one of importance," She quickly corrected herself and decided to quickly change the subject. "Now, I believe we talked about you becoming my student last night, didn't we?"

Sunset blinked. "Did we? The whole thing was kind of a blur, I don't remember much of it."

The sun princess just lightly sighed. "Well, it doesn't matter. I'll need your mother's permission before I can take you on anyway. I've never actually had a student of my own before."

"But don't you have that school named after you? The one for gifted unicorns?" The filly questioned.

Celestia nodded. "True, but I only teach there on an occasional basis. I've never personally mentored a pony one on one before. But if what you've told me is true, then you are most definitely beyond the basics. You're at a level of study that most ponies your age wouldn't be ready for for a few more years still. Of course, it all depends on what your mother thinks. Ah, there she is now." She concluded as the two trotted into the throne room.

* * *

In the throne room itself stood a rather young looking unicorn mare, her coat only a slightly darker color of amber than Sunset's. But her mane only consisted of light red locks in a straight cut, and her eyes were sap green. Her cutie mark wasn't visible through the black and white apron and bonnet that she wore.

Sunset recognized the mare instantly, even though she had never seen said pony in such attire before. "Mom!" She hopped down from Princess Celestia and ran right up to the elder unicorn.

Sun Spot eagerly embraced her daughter. "Sunset, I'm glad you're okay. When you didn't come home last night I was worried sick. And you know I worry enough about things as it is, what with your father being out of town and all."

Sunset shrank anew. "Sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to stay out so late and get lost. I was just practicing my magic, I'm getting really good at it! I can even open doors now!"

Sun Spot just lightly patted her daughter on the head. "That's definitely impressive, young lady. But I thought we agreed you're too young for magic lessons? That we were going to wait until you were a bit older before you were assigned an instructor?"

But Princess Celestia stepped forward and bowed her head. "Actually, Sun Spot, I would like to have the honor of taking Sunset under my wing personally. She certainly has a talent for high level magic, a talent that could lead to great things."

The filly began pleading. "Please, Mom?! Princess Celestia is so amazing and so caring! I wanna study with her! Can I?! Can I?!"

Sun Spot sighed. Her daughter was always easily excited. An offer from the princess herself didn't come often though. "_Could I ever afford it? Magic lessons with the princess would cost a fortune,_" She thought to herself. "_But if my husband were here, he'd probably say the cost is irrelevant compared to the benefits. Ponies would be lining up from miles around to see our daughter, the princess' student. And Sunset could use some friends._"

Princess Celestia seemed to be aware of what Sun Spot was thinking as she pointed out. "You needn't worry about the cost, Sun Spot. The lessons won't cost you a thing. All I ask is a little bit of Sunset's time each day, probably up to six or seven hours. And I promise you your daughter's well being will be my number one concern."

With such a tempting offer, and such tempting looks from her own daughter, Sun Spot couldn't resist for long. "Alright, I suppose Sunset can study with you, princess," She commented. "At least that way I can keep an eye on her while I'm making my usual rounds of the castle. No more sneaking out for private lessons in the park."

Sunset whined. "Mom, I'm not three! I can take care of myself!"

Sun Spot shook her head. "It's my condition for agreeing to this. If you're going to learn magic, it's far better and far safer if you learn with somepony I can trust. Otherwise, you'll just have to wait until your father and I decide you're ready to take lessons from a personal instructor of our choosing."

The little unicorn frowned, folding her hooves. "You're so unfair, Mom."

"I'm just trying to make sure my little filly doesn't get into trouble," Sun Spot lightly scolded. "Someday when you're older, you'll understand."

And Celestia was quick to comment. "You should listen to your mother's concerns, Sunset Shimmer. If you're going to be my student, you'll have to agree to take lessons on my time and not necessarily your time. And some of the things I may teach you will be far too dangerous to attempt by yourself."

Sunset just sighed, reluctantly agreeing. "Oh, alright. So, when do I start the lessons?" She asked the princess.

"Not for a few days, Sunset. First I'll need to readjust my schedule so that we have time to spend together," Celestia cautioned. "And I expect you to study hard and work hard."

Sunset nodded her head and gave a salute! "Don't worry, Princess Celestia! I won't let you down!" But what neither could know at the time, was that it was a promise the filly wouldn't be able to keep.


End file.
